Road building apparatus



Sept. 17,1935. CK 7 2,014,826

ROAD BUILDING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 2, 1930 INVENTOR- Meade WLZaZricJL',

K zLuflz I ITTORNEYS.

Patented Sept. 17, 1935 ROAD BUILDING APPARATUS Meade Wildrick, Wilmington, Del., assignor of one-third to Hyland R. Johns, New York, N. Y.

Application October 2, 1930, Serial No. 485,860

FFICE 3 Claims.

This inventionrelates to road building apparatus, while the instant improvements are, in part, a division from my co-pending application, Serial Number 390,970, filed September '7, 1929.

In the main the present invention has for an object to enable the construction of concrete, or other similar material, pavements more expeditiously and economically than heretofore and in a manner better adapted to tie in with a previously or subsequently laid adjacent lane.

Another object is to provide a simple and reliable apparatus by which pavement construction is effected and may be continuously carried out in? practical manner with a minimum of labor cos s.

With the foregoing and other objects in view this invention essentially consists of a mold for placement on road beds forthe purpose of conlining the paving material until set, said mold including a metallic grid-like reinforcement for permanent incorporation in the constructed pavement; and the side components of said mold affording a track, later removable, upon which the apparatus employed may travel continuously during mixture and laying of the pavement material.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and carried into practical eifect, I will now describe the same with reference to the accompanying sheet of explanatory drawing and, thereafter, point out those features deemed novel over prior art in the following claims.

In the drawing: Fig. I is a perspective view of my improved mold for laying paving mixture with apparatus useful and economical in making a pavement.

Fig. II is a cross-sectional view illustrating one convenient manner of assembling the lateral and longitudinal reinforcing elements hereinafter more fully explained.

Fig. III is a side elevation looking toward the left hand of the preceding view.

Fig. IV is a detail view of a binding means.

Fig. V is a fragmentary perspective view of a means for interconnecting the lateral and longitudinal reinforcing elements.

Fig. VI is a detail side view of a modified manner of assembling the lateral reinforcing elements.

Fig. VII is a sectional view of the preceding illustration.

Fig. VIII is a view showing how flanking sections of pavement may be laid alongside one previously finished.

Fig. IX is a fragmentary detail thereof; and,

Fig. X is a view showing a further modification.

In the drawing similar characters of reference refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Referring more in detail to Figs. I-IV of the 5 drawing, my improved mold for laying concrete pavement, or the like, comprises opposing side members or rails I conveniently of channelcrosssection, with differential-width upper and lower v flanges 2, 3, respectively; said rails being also 10 adapted to serve as tracks for guidance and progression of the pavement mixing and laying apparatus, as later on explained.

The rails I are formed in lengths suitable for convenient transportatiin and handling, while 35 the webs 4 thereof are provided with vertically directed assembling slots 5 for passage of the free screw-threaded ends 6 of lateral reinforcing rods 1, hereinafter again referred to. As a means for arranging the rails I in alignment and par- 0 allelism, I make use of spacer elements or junction bars 8, arranged at intervals along said rails, and having their lower edges vertically 'notched at 9, for passage of the longitudinal reinforcing rods Ill.

The head space in the assembling slots 5 allows for any sagging of the rails I, and consequent possible disturbance of the reinforcing rods 1, III, during the laying of the pavement ll; while the rod ends 5 are fitted, at each side of the rail webs 4, with nuts I2 to securely clamp the aforesaid parts in mold constituting relation. Obviously a continuous pavement H may be laid by eliminating the junction bars 8; while the number of lateral and longitudinal reinforcing rods I, I0 can be varied at will, by using only a certain number of the assembling slots 5 and vertical notchings 9.

The longitudinal and lateral reinforcing rods ll], 1, respectively, may be clamped or wired to- 0 gether at their points of intersection, in a manner well known in the art, thus forming a horizontal metallic grid-like reinforcement for embodiment in the pavement ll. Or, the longitudinals l0 may be looped at intervals, as shown at l3 in Fig. V, to correspond with the spacing and for the passage therethrough of the laterals l, in a manner obvious from said figure; such interlacing connection being brought about incident to initial assemblage of the parts above described.

Suitable chairs i l, Fig. II, may be placed in the center portion of the assembled reinforcing rods 7, it to prevent sagging, and to maintain their proper position in the pavement H; while alternate lateral reinforcing rods 1 may be laid ing over an expansion joint I6, so as to give additional longitudinal strength to said pavement; such members I5 being secured to the lateral reinforcing bar ends Ii, by replacing the outer nuts I2, which project beyond the sides of the pavement II when the side rails I have been removed.

- In Figs. VI' and VII there is shown a modified manner of assembling the side rails I and lateral reinforcing bars 1 without the necessity of screwthreading the ends of said bars and the application of nuts I2. This involves use of clamp devices embodying screw-threaded shanks I1 with clevis ends I3 and lock nuts I9; while the rails l are formed with lateral web lugs 20 apertured at 2| for passage of said shanks I1, and triangular openings 22 in the rail webs, or with bayonet cut-outs 22 in said webs and the lower flanges 3 as shownin Fig. X. In assembling the rails I and bars I, it will be readily apparent that the clamp device lock nut I9 is first backed-up to the yoke end I8; whereupon the shank I1 is inserted from below into the aperture 2I of the rail lug 20, and the end of the rod 1 moved underneath said yoke, when by manipulating the lock nut I9 it will be obvious that the yoke I8 'will be forced downwardly upon the rod end and that portion thereof engaged in the lower angular corner of the opening 22 jammed against axial movement longitudinally or rotatively.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. I, I have shown associated apparatus convenient for making and laying pavement II with the aid of my novel mold hereinbefore described. From this view it will be seen that the apparatus comprises two units, one consisting of a mixing and laying car 23, and the other a spreading and finishing car 24. The purpose of such division is to take on the rails I, the weight of the mixing and laying car 23 in the vicinity of the spreading and finishing operation; while a standard tractor mixing unit can, obviously, be employed instead of the car type mixer 23 shown. I

In operation, the mold side rails I having been laid on the road bed, at the required distance apart, and secured in place either by means of securing pins (not shown) driven through holes 25 in the base flanges 3, or by the aid of the lateral reinforcing rods 1 and end junction bars 8 as hereinbefore set forth. The longitudinalreinforcing rods I0 are next laid in conjunction with the lateral rods 1 in interwoven or connected relation, as also previously explained. Having completed assemblage of the metallic grid formed by the rods 1, III, other junction bars 8 may be located at intervals of the length of the mold through the medium of the vertical notchings 9 therein, to form expansion joints in' the pavement II, if so desired. The mold thus formed is then filled with paving material 26 supplied by the mixer 21 in an obvious manner, for conventional spreading by an operative 28, leveling off by the spreader car baffle 28, and finishing by the trailing roller 30. When the pavement I I has hardened the side rails I are removed and are available for further use in construction of additional pavement II, leaving the reinforcing members I, I0 firmly embedded therein;

'while it will be apparent that several lengths of rails I may be aligned and secured by aid of splice or junction elements 3I applied to the abutting end webs 4 in a conventional manner. If inter- 'mediate junction bars 3 have been employed to Fig. VIII. This permits an additional mold to be laid adjacent to the completed strip of pavement II, using the same type of side rails I, as previously set forth, or by substituting an angle iron rail 32 having vertical notches 33 for passage of the rods 1, in an obvious manner; said rail 32 being subsequently removed as soon as the new paving strip has hardened and the open joint filled in with bituminous material as aforesaid. The lateral reinforcing rod threaded ends 6 thus employed are conveniently connected by junction sleeves 34, or they may be otherwise united. It will, accordingly, be readily understood that the rods I, so extended, form a bond of lateral reinforcing members which tie together one or more adjacently laid strips of pavement I I into one complete unit.

While I have illustrated and described my invention with some degree of particularity, it is to be understood that in practice various alterations therein may be effected; therefore the right is hereby reserved to the privilege of changing the details of construction, or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts, without departing from the spirit of said invention or the scope of the following claims.

When the transverse reinforcing members are connected as illustrated in the drawing, it will be understood that they are capable of transmitting stresses of tension or compression according to the natureof any tranverse flexure of the road. In this way, two or more separately laid lanes or slabs may be reinforced to possess substantially the advantages that would be possessed by the transverse. reinforcement of a monolithic road. The term slab includes an integral portion of a lane of any convenient length whether cast in place or not. As used in the claims, the terms connected or connection are not intended to be limited to connections which are structurally separate or separable or attachable, but are intended to be broad enough to cover other types of connections.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:-

1. A concrete road comprised of at least two slabs laterally disposed in substantially abutting relation, transverse reinforcing members extending across substantially the full width of both slabs and connected to be capable of transmitting tension or compressive'stresses due to transverse flexure of the road or of either slab whereby the two slabs may be connected rigidly enough to function as a monolith so far as the transverse reinforcing members are concerned.

2. A concrete road comprised of at least two substantially laterally cont guous slabs, transverse reinforcing means extending across substantially the full width of each slab and a coupling device for tying together the said reinforcing means and arranged to be capable of transmitting tension or compressive stresses due to transverse flexure of the. road or of either'slab whereby the two slabs may be connected rigidly enough to function as a monolith, so far as the the full width of each slab, and a coupling dey vice for tying together the said reinforcing means and arranged to be capable of transmitting tension or compressive stresses due to transverse flexure of the road or of either slab whereby thetwo slabs may be connected rigidly enough to function as a monolith, so far as the transverse reinforcing means is concerned, and said coupling device being located adjacent the division between said slabs, and longitudinal reinforcing means in each slab to which the transverse re- 10 inforcing means is secured.

' MEADE WILDRICK. 

